Strength

Strength - something we all need to accomplish our daily requirements, but not always something that is easy to come by. As I have been reading through verses that talk about strength and where it should come from, I have been encouraged in my own life and want to share it with you. Whether it is for a middle of the night feeding with a crying infant or another question from a toddler, the sudden death of a loved one or a task that seems more than we can manage alone - there is strength available. In fact, the more tired or overwhelmed we feel, it seems the more ready we are to receive that strength.

Hebrews 11 talks about weakness being turned into strength, and one of my favourite passages about the promise for strength as a mother, comes from Isaiah 40:29-31 where it says, "He (God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; BUT those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will SOAR on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." That scripture paints a beautiful picture of how I want to feel - I don't want to live my life always tired and exhausted, but full of life and strength.

Yes, there are times when the strength we will receive as we are asking, seems only just enough for the task at hand - but that is when we realize we have all we need. In II Corinthians 12, the Lord tells Paul that His power is made perfect in weakness, and then Paul shares in verse 10, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." It is a strength that does not come from 10 hours of sleep a night and a perfectly balanced life (although I believe we still have to be wise with our time and choices) but it is a strength that lifts us above all the natural circumstances and helps us to SOAR. God knows us and our situations more perfectly than even we can understand them, and He has promised to give what is required IF we ask.

How do we ask? It is simply pausing in the moments of our day and saying, "God, I am _______(tired, overwhelmed, frustrated,...) and I don't feel I can go on. You have said in Your Word that when I am weak, You will be strong and that is what I need right now. I confess I cannot ___________(listening to whining, deal with a screaming infant, love my family well) without You. Please come into my moment, my day, my life and fill me with You. I want to do this in Your strength, not my weakness."

Be strengthened - God is our very present help in times of trouble!